# 2011 in public domain

When a work's copyright expires, it enters the public domain. The following is a list of works that entered the public domain in 2011. Since laws vary globally, the copyright status of some works are not uniform.

## Entered the public domain in countries with life + 70 years

With the exception of Belarus & Spain (which has a copyright term of Life + 80 years for creators that died before 1987), a work enters the public domain in Europe 70 years after the creator's death, if it was published during the creator's lifetime. The list is sorted alphabetically and includes a notable work of the creator that entered the public domain on January 1, 2011.
| Names | Country | Birth | Death | Occupation | Notable work |
| J.-H. Rosny aîné | Belgium France | 17 February 1856 | 11 February 1940 | Author | Les Xipéhuz and The Death of the Earth |
| Walter Benjamin | Germany | 15 July 1892 | 26 September 1940 | Philosopher | The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction |
| E. F. Benson | United Kingdom | 24 July 1867 | 29 February 1940 | Writer, archeologist | Mapp and Lucia series: Queen Lucia, Miss Mapp |
| John Buchan | United Kingdom | 26 August 1875 | 11 February 1940 | Writer, politician | List of works by John Buchan |
| Pedro de Alcântara | Brazil | 15 October 1875 | 29 January 1940 | | |
| Mikhail Bulgakov | Russia | 15 May 1891 | 10 March 1940 | Writer | Heart of a Dog |
| Jan F. E. Celliers | South Africa | 12 January 1865 | 1 June 1940 | Writer | Die Vlakte en ander gedigte |
| Louis Fles | Netherlands | 19 October 1872 | 24 May 1940 | Businessman, author | Hitler, hervormer of misdadiger? |
| Walter Hasenclever | Germany | 8 July 1890 | 22 June 1940 | Poet, playwright | The Son |
| Verner von Heidenstam | Sweden | 6 July 1859 | 20 May 1940 | Writer | Folkunga Trädet |
| John A. Hobson | United Kingdom | 6 July 1858 | 1 April 1940 | Economist | List of works by John A. Hobson |
| Paul Klee | Switzerland | 18 December 1879 | 29 June 1940 | Artist | Paul Klee Notebooks |
| Jan Kubelík | Czech Republic | 5 July 1880 | 5 December 1940 | Composer | |
| Selma Lagerlöf | Sweden | 20 November 1858 | 16 March 1940 | Writer, teacher | Gösta Berling's Saga |
| George Lansbury | United Kingdom | 22 February 1859 | 20 May 1940 | Politician, editor | What I Saw in Russia |
| Philip Francis Nowlan | United States | 13 November 1888 | 1 February 1940 | Author | Armageddon 2419 A.D. |
| Kazimierz Przerwa-Tetmajer | Poland | 12 February 1865 | 18 January 1940 | Writer | The End of the 19th Century, Hymn to Nirvana |
| Panuganti Lakshminarasimha Rao | India | 2 November 1865 | 1 January 1940 | Writer | Works |
| Silvestre Revueltas | Mexico | 31 December 1899 | 5 October 1940 | Composer | Homenaje a Federico García Lorca |
| Anton Hansen Tammsaare | Estonia | 30 January 1878 | 1 March 1940 | Writer | Truth and Justice, |
| Menno ter Braak | Netherlands | 26 January 1902 | 14 May 1940 | Writer | Het nationaal-socialisme als rancuneleer |
| Leon Trotsky | Russia | 7 November 1879 | 21 August 1940 | Marxist theorist | List of books by Leon Trotsky |
| Édouard Vuillard | France | 11 November 1868 | 21 June 1940 | Artist | The Seamstress |

## Entered the public domain in countries with life + 50 years

In most countries of Africa and Asia, as well as Belarus, Bolivia, Canada, New Zealand, Egypt and Uruguay; a work enters the public domain 50 years after the creator's death.
| Names | Country | Birth | Death | Occupation | Notable work |
| Chris van Abkoude | Netherlands | 6 November 1880 | 2 January 1960 | Writer, Novelist | Pietje Bell |
| Lady Cynthia Asquith | United Kingdom | 27 September 1887 | 31 March 1960 | Author and editor | This Mortal Coil |
| Eric Temple Bell | United Kingdom United States | 7 February 1883 | 21 December 1960 | Mathematician and science fiction writer | |
| Albert Camus | France | 7 November 1913 | 4 January 1960 | Philosopher, author | The Stranger |
| Victor Rousseau Emanuel | United Kingdom | 2 January 1879 | 6 April 1960 | Author | |
| John Russell Fearn | United Kingdom | 5 June 1908 | 18 September 1960 | Author | |
| Elsie J. Oxenham | United Kingdom | 25 November 1880 | 9 January 1960 | Children's novelist | Abbey Series of books |
| Eden Phillpotts | United Kingdom | 4 November 1862 | 29 December 1960 | Author, poet and dramatist | The Farmer's Wife |
| Nevil Shute | United Kingdom | 17 January 1899 | 12 January 1960 | Aeronautical engineer, novelist | On the Beach |
| Victor Sjöström | Sweden | 20 September 1879 | 3 January 1960 | Film director, actor | The Phantom Carriage |
| Dadasaheb Torne | India | 13 April 1890 | 19 January 1960 | Film director | Shree Pundalik |

## Entering the public domain in countries with life + 80 years

Spain (for creators that died before 1987), Colombia and Equatorial Guinea have a copyright term of life + 80 years. The list is sorted alphabetically and includes one notable work that entered the public domain on 1 January 2011 for each creator.
List of authors :
| Names | Country | Birth | Death | Occupation | Notable work |
| Thomas Bulch | Australia | 30 December 1862 | 13 November 1930 | Composer | Memories of England |
| Henry Creamer | United States | 21 June 1879 | 14 October 1930 | Composer, lyricist | |
| Charles Derennes | France | 4 August 1882 | 27 April 1930 | Author, essayist and poet | |
| Arthur Conan Doyle | United Kingdom | 22 May 1859 | 7 July 1930 | Author and physician | The Lost World, Sherlock Holmes |

## Entering the public domain in the United States

In the United States, the copyright status of works extends for the life of the author or artists, plus 70 years. If the work is owned by a corporation, then the copyright extends 95 years.
Due to the passing of the Copyright Term Extension Act (Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act) in 1998, no new works would enter the public domain in this jurisdiction until 2019.